From the Ashes
by Aetheren
Summary: It's been 9 years since the downfall of Lord Voldemort and the end of the Second Wizarding War. The wizarding community is still healing and rebuilding. But quick-witted and cheeky Nell, who was adopted by a Muggle and a Squib, feels lost and struggles to fit in. The promising yet rebellious witch-to-be just wants to know who she is.
1. Chapter 1

**Part One: Beginnings**

**Chapter 1**

"Nellie! Nellie, look at this!"

Her mother suddenly burst into the room with an open letter in hand.

The small girl sitting at her desk in the far corner of the room shot up out of her seat and turned to face the woman. The large book she was reading suddenly fell down onto the wooden surface with a loud thud.

"Yes, mum?"

She saw the woman's large smile quickly fade into a disapproving frown. "What did I tell you about using magic? No magic, you hear me? No levitation. _Nothing_ of that sort." She strode over the desk to peer at the book's pages.

Nellie twitched a few of her fingers defiantly. The book spun over to its back cover and slid across to the opposite side of the desk.

The woman narrowed her light brown eyes and looked at the child sternly. "Nellie. Don't you remember what I said about reading about _those_ kinds of things? And what did I just say about using magic?"

"But Uncle Marco said I should broaden my studies to include all aspects of magic and magical history." She turned her head to return the woman's stare. "Including those of dark magic and dark wizards and witches. There's no harm in just reading, is there?"

"I don't care what my brother says." The woman lurched forwards and made a grab for the book, but Nell moved again to defend it. "Now, you listen to me. You were too young to remember, but not nine years ago, thousands of wizards and Muggles were persecuted and brutally _killed_ under the reign of just a handful of powerful dark wizards."

Nell heard her adoptive mother's voice thicken in those few last words. And she knew well what the woman was talking about—she had read about those same events and dark wizards in that very book she had been reading. Nell nodded obediently. The tension between the two cooled and her mother looked down at the letter in hand.

"See here?" she pointed to the paper and stiffly handed it Nell. "Addressed to you."

Nellie seated herself and opened up the folded letter.

"To Nell Bennett," it read. "The Ministry of Magic addresses this letter to you in response to your request for the early obtainment of a wand. The aforementioned request has been extensively reviewed by our officials. We are pleased to inform you that it, as of now, has fulfilled the primary and secondary procedural qualifications and will now be subjected to the Head of this department for review. Two department officials will be visiting your home at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, the 17th of April 2007 in order to complete the required household and home check. Regards, Ava Prood, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Ministry of Magic."

Nell stared at the paper blankly for a few seconds, and then read it a second time. "So, I'm getting a wand?"

"Yes, Nellie. It's about time you stop reading about spells, and for you to actually start casting them. I think both you and I have had enough of your hand waving and uncontrolled magic. A wand will give you better control over your magic and help you become more efficie—"

"But I don't want a wand," Nellie said flatly. She knew what her magical capabilities were. They were extraordinary. She didn't need that woman to tell her how to handle magic.

"Well, you're getting one, child. And, anyways, as I was saying—"

"No, Mother," she said calmly, yet felt an unintentional edge showing through in her voice. "You may be my mother, but it doesn't mean you know magic. Squibs like you can't understand magic like true wizardkind."

Nell watched her bristle with silent rage, and then march from the room on the verge of tears. With a careless flick of her wrist Nell shut the door and, with practiced skill, locked it with a twitch of her fingers. Once the act was done, she sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"_You may have gone a little too far there_," a voice said from across the room.

Nell let out a halfhearted chortle and turned her head towards her bookshelf. "_Well, perhaps a bit. I should really watch when I shut the door from here—I did slam it a tad harsher than I meant. At least I know she won't be cross with me for long._"

"_Whatever you say, Nell. At least she didn't ground you again._"

Nell went over to her single window, lingering only a moment while watching a passing bird fly across the red-orange sky, and then yanked the curtains closed. "_It's not as if I ever go outside, anyways_."

She then strolled over to the bookshelf and felt along the top of the large tank. Her hand brushed across smooth, cool scales. The snake slowly twisted and slithered up the length of her outstretched arm. He began to curl around her neck.

"_Good to see you again, friend_," she said, grinning. "_I see you've made it back unscathed from your adventure outside_."

"_I did nearly get clipped by your neighbor's lawnmower again,_" the grass snake replied.

"_When did you return? I didn't hear you come back_."

"_Shortly before your mother came in. We are fortunate that she didn't glance across the room to see me sitting on top of the tank, not in it_," Gash said. "_She would have thrown your book at me_."

Nell carefully made her way over to and climbed into her bed. She reclined her head on the pillow, taking care not to squash the snake beneath her head. She closed her eyes. There was a long pause between the two, but they were both enjoying each other's company. She could feel his tongue flicking against her cheek every minute or so and he was soaking in the warmth from her neck.

"_Maybe you're right. I was a bit harsh on her today. You know how my temper flares when she interrupts me like that_."

"_Yes, yes I do. Especially when she catches you reading the things she forbids you from reading. Especially after you've spent half the afternoon moping around in your room all by yourself, without me to keep you company_."

"Mhm." A few more long minutes passed. Nell's thoughts returned to the book she'd been reading, Hogwarts, A History. "_Gash, earlier today I read about some geezer name Salazar Slytherin. It said he could talk to snakes." _Nell hesitated._ "You've encountered lots of people, so, before I met you for the first time in that forest, did you ever meet anyone else who could talk to you?"_

"_No,_" he replied, and then added quickly, "_but they might have all been Muggles. Most people are, after all._"

Nell took a few moments to contemplate his words. "_Well, that's all I wanted to know. I'm starting to get tired now. G'night, Gash_," she yawned.

Slowly, the snake slid out from under her neck and coiled himself on top of her chest. "_I'm very glad to have helped. Perhaps in return you could find me a larger tank? I'm beginning to outgrow the current one_."

"_Sure thing. I'll just cast _Engorgio_ on it once I get my wand_."

"_Much appreciated_."

"_It was nice talking to you again, Gash_. _You had best get back into your tank soon. Mum will probably stop in sometime tonight, and you do know how she screams when she sees you out. I'd hate for her to wake me._" she mumbled drowsily.

"_And you too, Nell_."

She felt him winding his way back down her arm and could hear him slithering back towards the bookshelf. She rolled over beneath the covers and dreamt of her faceless birthmother.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Nell turned and called out, "C'mon, Mum!" She had already walked three houses down from their home.

"Go on and wait for me by the corner, there," the woman shouted back, fumbling in her purse for something. She leaned through the doorway and impatiently called, "Marie! Hurry up! Don't keep your sister and me waiting for much longer!"

Nell continued to skip along until she reached the street corner, where she obediently stood waiting. She silently looked out over the housetops down in the street below, smiling to herself.

"_You're rather pleased with yourself, aren't you?_" The voice came from her jacket's large right pocket.

"_Why, yes. Yes, I am. I'm not sure exactly why. I suppose I enjoy playing innocent child every now and again._" She felt Gash squirm within the pocket a bit. "_And don't you dare complain if you get uncomfortable. You're the one who insisted you come along_."

"_You never know when you may need me_."

"_Humph_."

She heard the familiar and annoying clack of her mother's shoes against the sidewalk's pavement growing closer. Nell turned and clung childishly to her adoptive mother's arm as they walked along. The three continued on in silence until they reached a long vacant road.

"Go on, Marie. Hold out your wand now," Marie's mother said.

Marie reached down into her bag and began rummaging around in it. "Give me a moment—I know I put it in here somewhere…"

Nell let out a groan. "We're taking the Knight Bus?" she whined. Nell hated how it smelled of old men and rotten sandwiches, and there was always at least one unfortunate wizard or witch asleep on one of the seats or beds inside. "Couldn't we just have daddy drive us?"

"No. Daddy...," her mother hesitated. "Daddy doesn't like it there, so, yes, we're taking the Knight Bus. Plus, this way is faster."

Nell understood that. Her adoptive father was a Muggle, and he had never been comfortable around strange wizards or witches. The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley, of course, were full of them.

Marie finally extracted her wand and held it out proudly over the street. A few seconds passed and a loud bang sounded. A blue triple-decker bus suddenly popped out of nowhere and jolted to a stop right in front of them.

Marie was the first to board. "To the Leaky Cauldron, please." Then followed her mother and Nell. Nell gave a passing glance at the driver and the other couple passengers and then took her seat next to Marie. Surely enough, one of the more disheveled-looking passengers was fast asleep and snoring loudly.

The speeding bus took on another several passengers, dropped a few off, and then stopped at their destination. Their mother handed over a few coins to the bus boy and then stepped off with her children. Marie led them through the bustling tavern and to the plain-looking brick wall in the back. She, as if she had done it a hundred times, began to tap bricks seemingly at random. In only a few seconds, it was like the wall had just melted away. Before them was a street lined with various lavish shops just as crowded as the Leaky Cauldron, only brighter and more open.

"Marie? Where do you think you're going?" her mother said just as Marie started off. "I told you to go help Nellie buy her wand. Find me over in that shop over there when you're done, and then you can go off on your own."

"Oh, please, Mum? Can't I just go now? I promised Penny and Rae I'd meet them—. "

"No, go help your sister, as I told you to. Then you can go."

Marie muttered something under her breath and then took Nell's hand roughly. "C'mon, Nellie. Let's get this over with."

Marie dragged her sister through the crowd. Nell wondered how badly Gash was getting tossed around during this whole ordeal, with Marie making her bump recklessly into another pedestrian every few seconds. Upon their arrival at Ollivander's Wand Shop, Nell confirmed Gash's safety with a quick exchange of hisses.

An old man was sitting stooped over at the front desk, examining a wand. "Mr. Ollivander, sir?" Marie said loudly.

The old man looked up and put the wand he was holding back away in its box. "Yes, yes, what is it? No need to shout, I'm not that old."

"A wand for my sister, here." Marie tugged Nell directly in front of the desk. "Please."

Ollivander tilted his head and examined Nell's face. "William, come here, will you?"

Nell heard a dull thud come from the back of the musty shop and saw a young man appear at Ollivander's side within seconds.

"What is it, Uncle?" the man said.

"Well, what do you think? Measure that girl for her wand." Ollivander watched carefully as Will pulled a measuring tape from his pocket. By magic, the hovering tape measured Nell's height, arms, the length of her nose, and all other odd places and extremities while Will called the measurements aloud to his uncle. When he was done, Will grabbed the tape from midair and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"Hmm," Ollivander said. "Right or left-handed?"

"Left-handed, sir," Nell said.

Ollivander sat in contemplation for a moment, and then said, "Go on, Will. Which wand do you think will choose her?"

Will hesitated for a moment and then marched into the maze of shelves stuffed with wands.

Ollivander gave a soft chuckle. "Will's my nephew's youngest son, you know. He took up an interest in the family trade of wandlore not long ago. He's not—"

The young man returned with a box in hand. He opened the box and showed the wand to Ollivander for a moment. Ollivander looked up at the man. "Well, you could give that to her, but it would be no good. You're close, though. Try one of the shelves below where you found this one." Will turned and disappeared again. "Anyways, as I was saying. He's not as bright as I'd hoped for, but he's learning quickly enough. I'm glad he came when he did—all this work of tending to each customer and keeping the shop in order almost has become overbearing for an old man like me."

Will scurried back and offered another wand for Ollivander to look at. The old man adjusted his spectacles and looked at it for a moment. "Nine inches, pear, unicorn hair. Interesting choice, boy. I suppose it could work."

Nell took the wand from the presented box and held it for several seconds. She looked up at the expectant man, hesitated, and then gave the wand a soft swish. A deafening crack was heard as one of the legs of Ollivander's chair violently broke in half and sent the old man toppling to the ground with a shout and a loud thud. William dove in to help, but Ollivander shooed him away and told him to find another wand for Nell to try. With a wave of his own wand, Ollivander set his chair upright again and mended the chair leg.

"No, worries, girls," he said with a moan as he seated himself again. "I've been doing this since before even your parents were born. I'm used to these things happening."

He gave Marie a long stare. "Say, weren't you in my shop just a year or two ago? A ten inch willow wand with dragon heartstring, am I right?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Ollivander. I'm heading into my third year at Hogwarts in a few weeks," Marie replied.

Ollivander nodded pleasantly and then turned his milky eyes to Nell. "This is your younger sister? You two don't look very much alike. She looks a bit young to be eleven already." At that moment, Will came back with another wand and Ollivander motioned for her to try it out.

"I'll be ten in a few more months, sir. I have a paper here from the Ministry saying—," Nell began. She picked up the next wand. Upon raising the wand, a torrent of sparks exploded from the wand, singing the edges of Nell's sleeves and burning her hand. She dropped it in surprise.

Ollivander shook his head and handed the wand back to his nephew. "No, no. Try hawthorn or a sturdier wood," he said hastily before turning back to Nell. "Apparently poplar and unicorn hair is not suited for you either. At any rate, I don't need to see any official nonsense from the Ministry. Whether I see young wizards or witches in a year or three doesn't particularly matter to me. I believe that the same wand would still be destined for the same person."

Nell glanced again at the old frail man. _I doubt he would even live long enough to see me in a couple years, anyways. He looks like he's already standing in his grave._ Nell set the wand back neatly in its box and pushed it aside.

Will was already back and showing yet another box to Ollivander. The old man nodded warily and said, "Give this one to her to try, too." He clenched the edges of his chair with one hand, as if bracing for another explosion.

Nell took the third wand from the box and held it for only a second. A warm feeling radiated up through her hand and arm and settled in her chest. A few white sparks sputtered from the tip of the wand. She let out a steady breath and felt a light breeze ruffle her hair against her cheeks.

Ollivander smiled. "There it is. That's your wand." He held out his hand. "May I?"

Nell handed it to the old man. After turning it around in his trembling hands and grunting a few times, he gave it back to Nell with his best attempt at another smile. "Eleven and a quarter inches, walnut wood, unicorn hair core, and it's yours now."

Nell took the wand and examined it for herself for a few moments and then affectionately tucked it into her jacket's right inner pocket.

An impatient Marie finally stepped forwards. "Thank you, Mr. Ollivander. How much?"

"That'll be eight galleons, miss."

Marie handed over the coins and then led Nell back out into the street. Only a few steps out the door, Nell paused and pulled out her wand again. She raised it and opened her mouth in preparation to say a spell. As Maria saw Nell do this, she made a quick lurch towards her.

"Are you stupid or what, sissy? You're still underage—you know you still have the Trace on you. I bet the Ministry will be onto you at any minute now if you do that," Maria said, snatching out to grab the wand out of Nell's hand.

Nell jerked her arm back just in time. "Haven't you read anything about the Trace, stupid? We're surrounded by magic right now, and that interferes with the Trace. Any magic the Ministry detects right now will be completely disregarded. And plus, I'm still only nine years old, so any magic I use will be attributed to the fact I haven't been taught to control it yet." With that said, Nell shrugged Marie away.

"No matter," Marie sniffed. She brushed a lock of her wavy brown hair away from her eyes. "It's not like you know any real spells anyways."

Nevertheless, before Nell could raise her wand again, Marie had her gripped firmly by the wrist. Marie again towed Nell back through the endless crowd. As she stumbled along, she made another mental apology to Gash for the rough ride. After nearly tripping over the feet and cloaks of a dozen people, she found herself standing right before her mother.

"Now can I please go?" Marie said as she was gasping for air.

Her mother ignored her and turned her attention to Nell. "So how did it go? Did you get your wand? Come on, pull it out! I want to see."

Nell drew the handsome wand from her jacket and held it out for the woman to see. "Eleven and a quarter inches, unicorn hair, and…uh…walnut wood, I think," Nell said.

The woman looked at it with wide eyes and then nodded. "Very nice."

Marie finally exploded. "Mum," she hissed in a low, slow voice. "I'm going to find my friends and buy my school supplies now. I'll find you again in a bit." Having said that, she turned and marched away into the crowd. Her mother reached out to stop her, but Marie had already disappeared.

"Now I wonder why that sister of yours is so eager to see her friends. She's never been so impatient."

Nell shrugged. "Haven't you seen all those letters she's been sending out and receiving nowadays? Her owl has been worked to exhaustion. I suspect it's her new boyfriend, you see, and—"

"What?! You stay here, Nellie," she said in a sudden fluster, cutting Nell off. "I'll be right back." In a moment, she too had run off into the sea of cloaks and noise after Marie.

Nell smiled, knowing her words had done their job well. She, herself, now spun and, without a second glance back, began walking in the opposite direction. She quickly became irritated at the crowd and noise, and escaped from it by dodging into a nearby alleyway. Crouching down behind a pile of thrown away merchandise, she finally pulled Gash out from his hiding spot.

"_Sorry about all that_," Nell said.

Gash began to untangle himself. "_No need to apologize. I, after all, was the one who insisted on coming along._"

Nell gently stroked his head in silence for several minutes.

Gash turned his small yellow eye towards her and examined her face. "_You look happy again. I think you're actually genuinely happy to have that wand now, even after all of that reluctance to getting one_."

Nell looked down. She had only realized now how her free hand had been clutching the pocket containing her wand. She drew it out again and looked again at the dark polished wooden wand. It was slightly bent in a few places from the stick's natural curves but was completely smooth except for a small rough patch in the middle of the handle for a grip. "_Yew, twelve and a half inches, dragon heartstring core_," she repeated.

Gash slithered forwards and flicked his tongue out at it. "_I can see why you're already attached to it. It's powerful_."

"_Don't be jealous, Gash._ _It's just a wand. It chose me_," she said. She felt herself smile. "_I'm almost a real witch now_." Her heart soared at the thought. Reading about all those famous witches and wizards had taunted her for years, and now, she could perhaps become as great as them. Perhaps even greater. She sat there in the shadows of the alleyway for a long while, grinning and dreaming of glory.

She suddenly heard a familiar voice shouting her name that snapped her out of the wonderful reverie. She held her breath for a moment and waited for the caller to pass. A few seconds later, she heard her name again, this time the voice was louder and nearer.

"_You don't have to ride in my pocket again. Here, ride behind my neck. My hair will hide you and it's starting to get dark out_." Nell lifted her hair up and waited for Gash to secure himself properly in her jacket's hood, his head peeking up over her shoulder just below her right ear. She slowly rose to her feet again.

"Coming!" she called back in a cheery tone. She began to walk away, but then stopped again. "_Oops, I_ a_lmost forgot..._"

She pulled out the crisp paper from the Ministry from her pocket and then pointed her wand at it.

"Incendio," she said softly. The next moment, a ball of flame engulfed the paper. The paper shriveled and disintegrated within seconds. She watched the ashes fall to the ground and then die.

Nell, filled again with childish glee, smiled widely and ran after the caller.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Nell looked back and forth between the splintered portion of wall behind Marie and the wand in her hand. Marie's expression of awe quickly changed to one of anger.

"Nellie!" she roared. "Mum's going to kill you when she sees this! — I'm going to kill you!"

Nell rolled her eyes and pushed past her gaping sister. She waved her wand at the large hole in the wall. "Murus reparo," Nell said, and a new wave of plaster and paint flowing over the hole seamlessly. She lowered her wand and stepped closer to examine her work closely. "See? All fixed; no harm done."

"No harm done?" Marie's eyes flashed dangerously as she spoke. "You fired that at my head! You could've killed me!"

"Well, I didn't, okay? Calm down," said Nell. "And it might not have killed you..."

"Calm down? What did you say, you little —"

"What the hell are you two yelling about?" Andrew, Marie's older blood brother, suddenly came storming into the room with his thick physics book in hand. His blue eyes flashed angrily.

Marie immediately raised a trembling finger at Nell. "She did that! Nellie…she shot that spell at me and it blasted that hole in the wall. You heard that didn't you? But she mended it just now… But she almost _killed_ me."

Nell faced her older sister boldly. "Shut up. You're the one who started it, anyways."

Andrew held up his hand. "Enough, you two. And put down those wands. The wall looks fine. Nellie, Marie, both of you just cut it out before we all get in trouble," he said sternly.

"Yeah, yeah," Nell muttered in annoyance.

Just as they began walking away, he continued to say, "But don't you let me catch you fighting again. You'll both be going off to school together in a week and neither of you better get into any fights there. Mum and dad will have your heads. Just be glad that neither of them were home this time…"

By the time he finished chiding them, Nell was already out of the room and halfway up the stairs.

"_What was all that about_?" asked Gash when she finally entered her bedroom.

Nell shook her head. "_Nothing_." She shut the door behind her and then pummeled down onto her bed headfirst. "_Next Tuesday couldn't_ _come quick enough. We'll be away at Hogwarts soon._"

The meter-long snake slithered up and coiled up on top of her belly. "_Shall I hide in your sister's bedcovers tonight?_"

Nell couldn't help but give out a small laugh. "_No, that won't be necessary. Last time you did that she nearly kicked you to death. I think I'll just hex the showerhead in the bathroom for the next time she showers._"

"_A fine plan,_" replied Gash.

Nell smiled to herself and laid her head back. "_Then again, perhaps not. I don't think it would sit too well with mum or dad, especially before I head off to Hogwarts for the first time. Maybe I'll wait to get back at Marie when we get to the school_," she said.

A quick knock at the door suddenly interrupted them.

"Nellie? You're father and I are home, dear," her mother said, poking her head into the room. Her eyes immediately darted to Gash. "What is that bloody snake of yours doing out of its cage? Go wash your hands right now. Haven't you even started packing yet? Haven't you bought any of your school supplies yet?"

"No," Nell replied plainly. She ignored the woman's orders and other questions and continued stroking Gash's scaly head.

"Well, it's about time you have. C'mon, get up! I suppose I have time enough…I'll take you down to Diagon Alley in ten minutes. We'll buy your books, supplies, and get you fitted for some new robes. Oh, and you're not taking that snake with you to Hogwarts. We'll buy you a proper bird or cat to take with you." Without waiting to hear any protestation, the woman shut the door and marched back down the stairs and out of earshot.

"_You'd better not buy a bird or cat of any kind_," Gash said.

Nell said, "_Don't worry. I'll talk her out of buying me a bird. And I hate cats. The last thing I want is an owl screeching at me every other minute. I'm just glad Marie didn't tell her about our fight earlier." _

_"I agree."_

Nell slowly rose and set Gash down on the bookshelf. "_I'd better start getting ready, though. Mum really hates it when I keep her waiting too long_." Nell threw on a clean blouse and rummaged through a drawer for a matching pair of socks. "_I don't think you can come this time; you heard what the woman said. I'm going to be fitted for new robes, which means that old hag that runs the tailoring shop will be all touchy-feely to measure me. I don't think that a snake coiled up in my pocket would go unnoticed for very long."_

_"I understand,_" Gash said. "_You can go without me for once, I suppose._"

Nell finished putting on her socks and then slipped her feet into her old shoes. "_Someone has to hold down the fort, right? Tell me if Marie tries to hex anything of mine,_" Nell said, smiling.

As she turned and walked out of the room, she heard Gash let out a snake-like chuckle.

By evening, Nell returned.

"_Turns out my books and things were more expensive than expected. We didn't have enough money by the end to fit me for new robes. I'll be wearing Marie's old robes for now. I suppose you could have come along if you wanted_." Nell lugged the rest of her purchases into the room. Amongst the things piled high in her arms was a fairly large-sized birdcage. "_Oh, and did Marie decide to stop in at any point while I was gone?_"

"_Yes. She was thinking about doing something, but then left without doing anything. Good thing she's scared of snakes—otherwise you might've come back home to a bewitched bookcase, or something._" Gash eyed the bird cage suspiciously. "_Whatever is that for_?"

Nell heaved the cage up onto her desk and set it next to Gash. "_Well, I'm not sure I'm allowed to bring a snake to Hogwarts, so I figured I'd buy this just in case. The lady made me buy a raven, too, but I didn't want it_. _I secretly sent it off to the far reaches of China just a moment ago. But Mum saw me buy it—that's what matters. She'll expect to see me bring one to Hogwarts, though…_"

Gash tensed his muscles and drew back a few inches. "_Oh, no. If you're going to try what I think you're wanting to try, then… But, Nell, isn't that all a bit advanced?_"

"_Oh, I know what I'm doing_," Nell said. She pulled out one of her sister's old Transfiguration textbooks and began flipping through its pages. "_I've been reading about this stuff for years, Gash. And I know I can do it if I try. I mean, didn't I tell you about that spell that blasted a hole in the wall earlier today—or at least you surely heard it? Or that rat in the basement I managed to transfigure into a matchbox?"_

"_A full-fledged trans-species transfiguration spell is far different from a blasted wall or a rat turned into a matchbox_," said Gash skeptically.

Nell gave Gash an intense stare.

"_Ughh. Okay, but I want to see you successfully use that spell on no fewer than six frogs before I let you even _point_ that wand at me_," Gash hissed.

"_I don't plan on trying it until the day we leave. I much prefer you as a snake, you know. I'll turn you into a bird just while we travel_," Nell reassured him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_So, this is it, Gash_," Nell said drowsily. She stretched and slowly sat up in bed. "_We're off to Hogwarts today_."

"_Well, hopefully you will. Good thing you got up early today, Nell_," Gash said, a touch of humor entering his voice. "_You have just a bit more packing left to do_."

Nell rubbed her eyes and then focused her sight in on the room around her in horror. There were several piles of clothes, dirty and clean, tossed on the ground and all around open closet. Books and pens and notebooks and loose pieces of paper were scattered everywhere. Her large trunk in the corner was wide open and completely empty.

"_Umm, Gash? What time did you say it was?_" Nell said, giving a nervous laugh.

"_Still early_. _It's 6:12 a.m_."

Nell's eyes widened and she dove into the pig sty without another word. She spent the first thirty minutes hurriedly folding her clothes and jamming them all into the suitcase. The next twenty were spent finding all of her school books and dumping them all on top of her horrendously organized clothes; her older and more precious personal books were placed neatly into the jumbled mess of clothes while the other uninteresting ones required for school had been merely tossed in. After that, she spent another thirty-five minutes hunting down everything else she needed or might possibly need in the next several months at the school. With the rest of her belongings she decided not to bring, she shoved them under her bed and into her emptied closet in order to give her room the impression of being at least somewhat orderly.

By 7:37 am, Nell was standing panting in the middle of the room. Her trunk was closed up and lying by door with the bird cage sitting on top of it. In the bird cage was one of the frogs she had transfigured into a crow the previous day to act as a decoy until Gash would take its place.

She stumbled back onto the bed. _Maybe I can get another half-hour of sleep... _

Just a few minutes later, she heard a series of soft knocks at her door.

"Nellie! Nellie, wake up! Breakfast is ready," Andrew yelled through the door.

Nell groaned into her pillow. "I'm coming." _At least he has the sense not to intrude on my room, like everyone else in this house seems to take the liberty of doing._ She reached for her wand and then stood up. "_I'm sorry, Gash. We might as well get this over with_," she said.

"_No, I won't_," Gash protested stubbornly. "_Those frogs you transfigure into birds are pretty convincing, you know. I don't see why I can't just hide in your pocket, and let one of those dumb amphibians play dumb bird in my stead. And plus, you know how I hate cages_."

"_Those frogs make terrible birds, Gash. Haven't you seen them? They try leaping around and_ _flicking their tongues out at everything._ _And once they figure out how to caw, they never shut up. I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't think you could do a better job._"

"_They're pretty convincing to me, at least…_," he said. "_And how can you really think that I, a creature who has no limbs, will fare better than those four-legged frogs in pretending to be a bird, a creature with a pair of legs _and_ wings_?"

"_Yes, you can do it_," Nell replied insistently.

Nell walked over to the cage and pointed her wand at the thing inside. She muttered a spell and the awkward bird perched inside turned back into a frog. "_They're too stupid to figure out that they're not frogs anymore. I assume you might be smart enough to acknowledge it_. _And you don't have to do much—you don't even have to stand up, if you don't want to. Just let out a caw or two once in a while and try to act like the typical dumb bird. C'mon, whaddya say, Gash?_"

Gash glared at her for another second and then silently made his way across the floor. He slithered past the disoriented amphibian and up into the cage, where he coiled up. "_Please, just hurry up. I want this to be over as quickly as possible_."

As she had practiced earlier on several frogs, she pointed her wand at him. "Avifors," she said confidently.

His physical body wavered and then stretched and morphed into that of a raven. He ruffled his wings and slowly tried to make use of his knobby legs.

"_Not as bad as you thought_?" she said.

"_Shut up_," he hissed in Parseltongue, and then let out a deep, throaty caw.

Nell smiled and shut the door of the cage. "_I promise_ _I'll change you back as soon as we reach Hogwarts_."

She opened the door to her room and then made her way downstairs to the kitchen. When she entered the kitchen, she saw a breakfast of toast, a few pieces of bacon, and a couple of eggs already served up on a plate in front of her place at the table.

"Hurry and eat up, Nellie," her mother said, as she set a glass of milk down beside Nell's plate. "We're leaving in thirty minutes."

Just as Nell picked up her fork, Andrew slid into the seat next to her with a bowl of cereal in hand. "So, are you excited?"

"For going off to Hogwarts?" Nell shrugged. "I suppose I am a bit."

"Oh, come on," he said, taking a bite of his breakfast. "You're going off to a school for magic. I get to go off to a school for Muggles. You'll learn about spells and magical creatures, I'll learn about math and history."

Nell took a sip of milk. "I don't think that the stuff at Hogwarts sounds all that exciting. I've been studying magic since I turned six. I've never been to a Muggle school. What are they like?"

"Can I tell you a secret?" He leaned forwards a few inches. "I might pretend that I'm content with my Muggle life, but I'm not. I wish I could hold a wand and cast all sorts of spells. But I can't, and I never will."

"I don't take my magic for granted, Drew," she said between bites. "I was just being curious."

He paused, and then reached behind his chair and pulled out a box. "Say, want to play one more quick game before you leave?"

Nell smiled and nodded. "Of course." Playing chess was one of the only things she genuinely enjoyed doing with anyone in this family.

Andrew opened his mouth again to say something, but his mother came into the room again. "Sorry, but we should get going now. In the car, now, you two."

"But it hasn't even been close thirty minutes yet," Nell protested.

"Well, you don't want to miss the train, do you?" she said, and promptly left.

Nell sighed and got up with her cleared plate and empty glass in hand. "In a second. Let me go get my trunk from upstairs first."

"Your sister already brought your things down from your room for you. Now, hurry up into the car."

"In a minute," Nell said irritably.

She placed her dishes on the counter and hurried upstairs. She managed to fish a clean outfit from underneath her bed and quickly changed into it. She ran out to the driveway and quickly took the remaining back passenger seat of the minivan. And then they were off.

As soon as they reached a main road, Andrew, sitting next to her, pulled out the box and smiled. "It won't be another hour until we reach the station. Enough time for one good game of chess, like I promised, don't you think?"

With quite a bit of difficulty, they set the board up between their laps. They managed to keep the pieces upright and within their squares with the use of a few small strips of tape.

"Your move first," Nell said.

Andrew paused a moment, and then struck out his hand and moved his pawn piece forwards a space. Nell mirrored with a similarly benign move.

The game went on slowly, at first, and then picked up rapidly as their hands began sweeping across the board, moving some pieces forwards and taking others off. In an unexpected move, Andrew's knight suddenly struck out and took the place of Nell's rook.

Nell studied the chess board carefully again and again. The climax of the game was approaching. She saw several paths set before her, but only one or two of them could lead her to achieving the winning checkmate—she just had to find the right one. She took the plunge and reluctantly moved a piece forwards.

They carried on playing. But it was only half a dozen turns later that Nell realized her mistake.

Nell's eyes flicked from one end of the board to the other. There were no other paths, just one. It branched off into half a dozen possible moves, but they all ultimately ended the same way. She could feel her heart pounding in panic and her arms and legs begin to tremble.

Andrew immediately moved one of his own pieces and swiped her last bishop off the board.

Nell immediately retaliated with her queen. "Ch-check," she stuttered.

Andrew calmly moved his king away, delaying her for two more turns. Nell moved her queen again with trembling hands. The older boy moved his bishop into place.

Nell shoved her queen forwards again. "Check!"

Andrew moved his rook, and Nell's queen was gone. "Enough of that, sis," he said.

Nell glanced furiously over the board again. _How could I have missed that?!_ She was down three pawns, a bishop, a rook, two knights, and a queen. She took a moment to calm her nerves somewhat, and then slowly took his last bishop with her last desperate move.

"Checkmate," said Andrew, knocking over Nell's king.

The car coasted to a stop in front of the King's Cross station and Gash cawed again loudly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Off you go, dears," Marie's mother said. She gave a long hug to her daughter and then gave Nell a quick peck on the cheek. "Marie, you look after your sister. Make sure she doesn't get lost or into any trouble. And good luck, Nell."

Then their father and Andrew also offered their own hugs and quick kisses.

"C'mon, Nellie, it's almost eleven' o'clock now. Time to find our seats," Marie said, pulling at Nell's hand. Nell nodded and allowed herself to be led away towards one of the train's cars. She clambered in after Marie and followed her past countless other students and booths.

Marie finally stopped and ushered her to sit down. Nell looked around at the three of Marie's fellow Fifth Year Ravenclaw classmates. There was Penny Peren and Rachel Olsen sitting facing them and an unfamiliar boy, who Nell guessed to be Samuel Vance, by the window.

"Weren't you made a prefect? I thought you were allowed to ride in the prefects' car," Rachel said to Marie as soon as they appeared at the booth's entry.

"I am," Marie said. She finished placing her carryon bag up in the rack above their seats. "But I wouldn't want to be stuck sitting with the other Ravenclaw prefects for the whole train ride, now would I?"

Rachel and Penny burst out into girlish giggles. "Yeah, can you believe that zit-faced Keaton Kettle and stupid Juliana Tuckett got chosen as prefects, too?" Marie laughed with them.

"Oh, Nellie," Marie said, motioning to the boy by the window, "this is—"

"Samuel Vance," finished Nell.

"How did you know?"

"I'm not stupid, you know. I've seen all those letters you've been sending each other all summer."

Marie opened her big mouth to say something, but the train's final loud whistle interrupted her. The four of them all rose at once and rushed to the windows, fighting to shove their arms out the windows to flail them about and call out farewells to their families. Nell poked her head through the mass of bodies and silently peered out the window just as the train began to pick up speed.

"Good luck!" their mother and father called repeatedly while Andrew only stood there, waving goodbye in silence.

Once the train was out of sight of the platform, Marie took Nell and helped her to change into her school robes. "Best to change early on so you don't forget to later."

"Already so confident you'll be in Ravenclaw, Nellie?" Penny said when the two returned.

"No," Marie said. "But Nellie here is really clever; always reading and practicing spells and whatnot."

Nell looked down at her black hand-me-down robes and saw the Ravenclaw sigil stitched onto the front. She forced a shy smile.

A few moments later, Penny led the conversation past the subject of Nell. The four older Ravenclaws continued on talking for nearly another two-and-a-half hours, during which Nell thought mainly of Gash and how terrible it must be for him, being stuffed into the form of a bird, caged up, and having to ride along with hundreds of noisy owls in a stuffy luggage car. A plump woman wheeling past with a cart filled with candy and snacks disrupted her thoughts.

Seeing this, Marie rose. "Does anyone else want anything from the cart?" she offered.

"Oh, some Bertie Botts for me, please," Penny said.

"I'll have two Fizzing Whizzbees."

"Marie…" Nell began.

"Come along, Nellie, so you can pick out what you want," said Marie. Nell was ushered to her feet. The two caught up with the cart and got in line behind a group of Slytherins.

Marie gestured to the cart. "So, what do you want?"

Nell shook her head and whispered, "I want Beak." Beak was the stupid name she gave to Gash while he was in bird form.

It took a moment for it to register with Marie. "Oh, come on, Nellie. You haven't had that bird for more than two weeks, and now you can't seem to part with it for a few hours?"

"But—."

"No, Nellie. I'm not taking you all the way through the train just for you to get your bird. You can see Beak after we arrive at Hogwarts in three hours, and then again after dinner," Marie said sternly. "Now, pick out what candy from the cart you want me to buy for you."

When Nell failed to reply, Marie advanced straight up to the cart, muttering, "A chocolate frog it is, then."

After Marie made the purchases, she put what few coins she had left back into her pocket and began walking back to the seat.

"Which direction is the luggage car?" Nell asked her sister.

Marie paused, but decided to ignore the question and continued walking.

Nell suddenly felt a wave of anger wash up over her at being disregarded, especially when her question pertained to something as important as Gash. Her fingers twitched for her wand. She was about to whip it out of her pocket when a boy from the seat next to her suddenly spoke up.

"It's towards the front of the train—that way. But you can't get to the luggage very easily anyways. You'd have to pass the prefects' carriage first, and they're very stickler about that sort of thing," the rather plain looking boy said. "You don't have to go back and sit with that girl. You can sit with us if you'd like."

Nell contemplated going off to the luggage car, but instead accepted his offer. She stepped into the booth and looked around at all the faces. It was even more crowded here than in the box where her sister and her friends were sitting. Nell took a seat on the side where only two other people were sitting.

"We're all First Years here, you know," the talkative boy said. "Are you a Second Year? It looks like you're already in Ravenclaw. I sure hope that I get Sorted into a good House, y'know not Slytherin or Hufflepuff. M'name's Jeremy Wynn. Here next to me is Kraz Pucey and Louise Figg. There next to you is Chloe Merrythought, and, uh, Ted Lupin. What's your name?"

"My name's Nell Bennett," she replied mildly. "I'm a First Year, too. These are old robes from my sister—she's the one who's in Ravenclaw."

"Oh, that's nice." He paused a moment. "I noticed that your sister there never gave you your chocolate frog. Here, you can have mine. I don't want it. I just wanted the card, you know." He pulled it from his robe pocket and offered it to Nell. Nell politely declined.

"Are you sure that was your sister?" Louise Figg asked, nodding in the direction of Marie's booth. "You two don't look very much alike."

Nell calmly turned her head towards her. She was a scrawny girl with brownish hair and wearing a pair of stylish glasses over her dark eyes. "Yes. She's my sister, but not by blood. I was adopted when I was very young."

"Well, okay, she's in Ravenclaw, but which House do you think you'll be Sorted into?" the Louise Figg girl asked.

Nell shrugged. "My mum seems pretty convinced I'm going to be Sorted into Ravenclaw, too. That's the main reason she didn't bother removing this patch from these robes."

"Oh, well, I'm going to be Sorted into Hufflepuff for sure," said Louise. "Everyone in my family's been put into that House for generations, my dad says."

"Really? That's a shame. There's nothing really all that special about Hufflepuffs," Chloe said. "My great-grandmother was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher a long time ago. When she was in school, she was a Ravenclaw, I think. I'm _really_ hoping for the same too. I don't know if I'd want to face my parents ever again if I don't get into Ravenclaw..."

Kraz Pucey, the skinny boy, spoke up before Jeremy could open his mouth again. "My mum's whole family was Sorted into Slytherin. She was pureblooded and all, you know. But I don't know if I'll be put in the same House…I'm a half-blood, you see..."

"Blood doesn't matter, stupid," said Ted Lupin. "The Hat Sorts you for your personality, not your family."

"No, Pucey's right," Jeremy said in a slow and unpleasant manner. "Everyone knows that all Slytherins are sleaze-backed, self-centered blood-purists."

"Shut up!" Kraz clutched his bony knuckles and stood up in a sudden rage.

Slightly surprised, Jeremy hesitated for a moment, and then stood up to respond to the challenge. "Bring it, scumbag!" he shouted back.

"Shhh! Both of you, _shut up_," Louise Figg said.

Kraz inched forwards, paused, and then yielded. Just as the two retook their seats, an upperclassman stopped in front of their booth and opened the door.

"Is there a problem here?" the Gryffindor prefect said.

"No," Nell said quickly.

"Well, don't get into any trouble. We'll be arriving in two and a half hours," she said. The prefect gave one more suspicious glance at the lot of them, and then moved on. Nell closed the door again, and a prolonged pause hung in the air.

"You never knew your parents, then?" Chloe asked Nell conversationally, breaking the silence.

Nell shook her head slowly. She wasn't sure she liked where this conversation might lead to.

"Oh, Teddy here is the same. Maybe your parents died fighting off You-Know-Who just like his did."

"Is that really so, Ted?" Jeremy asked enthusiastically.

Teddy, the blonde haired boy sitting nearest the window, smiled. "They did. And my grandpa, too. I've been raised by my gran and my godfather's family ever since," he said, beaming. "And stop saying 'You-Know-Who.' He was called Voldemort. It's just a name, you know. There's no need to be scared of it."

"My uncle died during the war, too," Kraz said. "But my mum never talks about it."

"He was probably a traitorous Death Eater, like the rest of your family, Pucey," Jeremy said.

"You'd better drop it, Jere," Ted said. "Kraz looks like he's about to cry."

Kraz turned lobster red in anger and began inching his hand towards his robe's pocket.

"Go on, then, Pucey," Jeremy threatened.

"I doubt you know any spells anyways."

"I dunno," Jeremy said. "I bet he knows a few dark spells. He's a Slytherin, after all."

"Not yet, he's not," Louise said very defensively. "So, you two can just leave him alone. He doesn't have to be like the rest of his family."

She held her hard stare with the two boys for several silent seconds. Ted and Jeremy then both shrugged and directed their attentions elsewhere.

The conversations within the booth waxed and waned, morphed and changed, and droned on for another two-and-a-half hours. By the end of the train ride, Nell was thoroughly irritated by the sound of Jeremy's voice, the annoying squeak in Chloe's laughs, Ted's know-it-all tone, and Kraz's wan face.

The moment she stepped off of the train, she immediately started off towards where the students' birds and luggage were being unloaded. Nell eagerly began to hurry towards the far end of the train.

"There you are, Nellie. I was beginning to wonder where you'd gotten off to," a voice behind Nell suddenly said.

Nell rolled her eyes and turned around to face her sister. "What is it now, Marie?"

"You," Marie said, jabbing Nell harshly in the shoulder. "You went off all of the sudden. Mum told me to look after you, and I can't do that if you go wandering off."

"Well, I didn't see you looking for me. I was just a few booths down from you," said Nell.

Marie scrunched up her face, and then shoved Nell in the direction of a growing crowd of First Years not far off. "See that big man over there? That's Hagrid, and he'll be taking you to the castle across the lake in some nice boats. It'll be fun. So, off you go."

"No, not yet," Nell said defiantly as she pushed back. "I'm going to see Beak. And I thought you just said you weren't going to let me out of your sight. Trying to get rid of me again already?"

"You can see Beak once you get to your dormitory. And you can see me again after the Sorting. All of the First Years go the school by boat, anyways. You don't want to be the only one who doesn't, do you?"

Nell reluctantly went towards the half-giant Hagrid, but not before slipping a nasty face at Marie. As the crowd on the platform began to clear away and the other First Years were being led away, Nell stayed behind. She hurried towards the luggage car of the train. For a whole twelve minutes, she managed to search through countless stacks of trunks and screeching birds undetected.

"Who goes there?" she heard a rough voice say. Nell ducked to the floor and tucked in her legs. But the man had already caught sight of her and dragged her from the train car. He took a glance at her robes. "Second Year? Third Year? Get along now. The carriages to the castle have already left, I bet; you'll have to walk now. Best not be late—just follow the road. You should get there before the end of the feast."

He didn't turn back again until she began walking away. Nell considered trying to sneak back and retrieve her companion, but decided that Gash would forgive another few hours by himself.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Nell hesitated by the entrance of the Great Hall.

"Go on," Argus Filch growled, and gave her a small prod forwards.

She threw the man a quick glare and then proceeded forwards towards the large group of fellow First Years in the front of the hall. Nell briskly hurried down the center aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables. She could feel the eyes of half the school on her. _Perhaps I shouldn't have tried to find Gash. I'm making an awful fool of myself already._ She could just feel Marie's disapproving stare, but Nell didn't mind that part so much.

As she neared the front of the hall, she passed a skipping Louise Figg, who had just been Sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Lupin, Ted," the Headmistress called.

Ted stepped out from the crowd and steadily made his way up to the seat. The Sorting Hat mumbled to itself for a couple of seconds and then called out, "Gryffindor!" Ted's face lit up, and he jumped down and ran over to join his House's table.

Headmistress McGonagall peered over the tops of her spectacles at the new arrival with a look of stern disapproval. The old woman crossed out a name towards the top of the list she was holding in her hands, and then called out, "Bennett, Nell."

A nervous chill crawled down her spine and settled in her twisted stomach, yet she calmly marched forwards and seated herself on the stool. She looked out over the whole school seated at all the four long tables before her lined with hundreds of students. Over at the Ravenclaw table, she spotted Marie, anxiously craning her neck to watch. Nell felt the weight of the Sorting Hat lower onto the top of her head. The Hat started to mumble to itself immediately.

"Oh, a clever mind, I see. Ravenclaw, perhaps? Oh? What's this? No, I see now…," the hat muttered, and then shouted "Slytherin!" for all the school to hear.

Nell felt a rush of warmth flush her face as the hat was lifted from her head. She quickly diverted her eyes from the Ravenclaw table, wishing not to see her sister's reaction. The Slytherin table had the least people, who had been, so far, the least enthusiastic in their welcoming of newcomers. She got down from the seat and walked towards the table, where she was greeted by a sparse applause and handshakes from a couple of the Slytherin prefects.

Nell sat in complete silence, watching the other students be Sorted into their respective Houses. Among those Sorted into Slytherin, and the only person she knew, was Kraz Pucey, who ended up sitting next to her. Headmistress McGonagall gave a short welcoming speech and then led the school in the stupid school song. Once that was over with, the feast began.

"Go on, Nell," Kraz said. "Stop looking so sullen and eat something. This chicken is great…"

Nell watched the skinny boy devour bite after bite and then refill his plate again.

She sparingly dabbed some food on her plate and ate slowly. Her thoughts lingered on Gash and how he fared. _Should I bring some food for him? I did just recently give an extra frog before we left…he might not be hungry._

Cameron Mitchell, one of the Slytherin prefects, seemed to be one of the only upperclassmen to care about the year's newcomers. He and Jeremy Wynn both shared a similarly loud and talkative mouth.

"You might want to get those robes fixed," Cameron laughed. He nodded over to the Ravenclaw table. "Your name is Bennett? Well, I don't mean to disappoint your Ravenclaw sister, but you're a Slytherin now."

Nell glanced over her shoulder at the Ravenclaw table, and Marie looked away. _Marie will tell the whole family about the Sorting by the end of tonight, there's no doubt about it. I wonder what her mother will say when she hears that I've been Sorted into the House of sleaze-backed, self-centered blood-purists._

Kraz, with his mouth full of food, turned back to Nell. "You mentioned that you were adopted? And you don't know who your birthparents are? Well, you might be pureblooded, or part pureblooded. Not many Muggle-born witches or wizards get Sorted into Slytherin anymore, you know."

Nell dodged his spittle. And after her initial feelings of anger of him bringing up the subject of her parents had passed, she thought about his words. "Perhaps so."

For some reason, Nell felt a lot cheerier after that. She still remained silent but she took an interest listening in on everyone else's conversations. The feast was soon over and Nell eagerly followed Cameron down to the entrance of the Slytherin dormitories in the dungeons.

"Venom," the Head Boy said to the entrance. The stone door slid open and all the Slytherin students filed inside.

The room was large, yet had a relatively low ceiling. The furnishing included jet black and dark green-upholstered sofas and lounging chairs. The tables and other chairs were made of a uniform rich, dark wood. A few stone snakes and Slytherin banners decorated the otherwise painfully bare walls. And, although the room was richly furnished, the musty air and stone walls gave the place an almost dark and cold atmosphere.

Once most of the First Years had arrived, Cameron spoke again. "Come along now, make room for everybody… This is the Slytherin common room. Boys' rooms are over in that hallway, girls' rooms are just down those stairs there. You will all already find your things in your respective rooms—."

But Nell had already followed the steady stream of upperclassmen girls down the stairs, not waiting for Cameron to finish his most likely longwinded speech. She shoved her way through the slow-moving crowd, poking her head in most of the rooms she passed, scanning each one for her worn old trunk and an irritated-looking raven.

After about the ninth room, a Seventh Year girl yanked Nell away from the doorway and pushed her back down the hall. "Stop snooping around. First Year rooms are down that way," she snapped, pointing in the direction Nell had come from.

Nell eventually found her dorm room, shared by four other First Year Slytherin girls, Hilda Nott, Adora Binns, Amelia Worme, and Lauren Malone, all of whom she had eavesdropped on at the feast. And they had all already arrived before her. She quickly crossed the room to her things. As soon as she did, she unlocked Gash's cage and let the raven stumble onto her outstretched arm.

"_I'm sorry_," she whispered as quietly as she could.

Gash blinked and shuffled his wings awkwardly. "_Just change me back, now_," he hissed equally as quiet.

"_I can't right now_," Nell said. She glanced at the other two girls who were currently in the room. Amelia and Lauren were busily putting away their belongings and chatting loudly. "_Well, I suppose I could try._"

She hesitantly pulled out her wand. She whispered the counter-spell gave the wand a flick. In an instant, the crow standing on her bed once again became a snake. He remained very still.

"_You have no idea how disorienting that is_," he said finally, shaking his head slowly. He slowly slithered his way across the bed and began to wind his way down the bed leg to the floor. "_I'll have myself a good look around. You should start unpacking and get to sleep soon. Breakfast is at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, so don't be late_."

Nell nodded and waited until she could no longer hear him before she went to her luggage. She heaved her large suitcase up onto her bed and unlatched it. Lying neatly on top of the mess she had hastily packed earlier this morning was a small framed photograph of her and her adoptive family. It had been developed like a Muggle photograph, so the figures in the photograph remained still and stagnant. She figured that Marie's mother had probably taken the liberty to place it in her trunk for her.

She stood silently examining it in her hands for a long minute. She remembered when this was taken. It was from last summer, when they had visited Paris, France, as shown by the Eiffel Tower in the background. She saw her tall sunburnt father standing in the back with his narrow smiling face and wispy blonde hair. His wife stood next to him, considerably shorter and plumper in comparison, with dark ebony skin and black hair falling around her shoulders in tight glossy curls. Andrew was there with the same lean build as his father, but with light chocolate-colored skin and medium brown curly hair. Next to Andrew was Marie, who had a rounded figure similar to that of her mother, but had darker skin than her brother and wavy dark brown hair. And then, front and center, was Nell. She stood out of the family, with her pale skin and petite build. Her straight black hair framed and emphasized her plain, strong jawed, almost gaunt-looking face. Her small half-smile was a pathetic attempt at a look of happiness compared to the genuine wide smiles of the others in the picture.

_Maybe mum thought I might get homesick. _Nell's eyes looked it over once more, and then she tossed it aside. It slipped off the bedspread and clacked loudly onto the floor. She ignored it and began the job of sorting out everything else in her suitcase.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"_Perhaps we should have planned this out a bit better_," Nell said. "_Do you want any more of your egg before we head off for class_?"

"_We _did_ plan this out. You gave me that extra frog to eat two days ago, and I still wouldn't be hungry now if you hadn't turned me into that crow. It took a lot of my strength out of me, you know_," the snake replied. "_So, yes, I think I will have another few bites_."

Nell extended her sleeved arm over the last scraps of raw egg on her plate, under the pretense of trying to lift a particularly heavy pitcher of maple syrup in the middle of the table. Gash shot his head out and began to messily attempt to snap up as much of the remaining egg yolk he could get.

"Stop looking so nervous, Bennett," said a voice from behind.

Nell's arm hand darted back from the syrup pitcher and she looked up at the person who said those words. For a moment she feared that Gash had slipped from his hiding spot, but she dared not glance down to check.

The prefect's round face was looking down at her with a crooked smirk. "Classes start in twenty minutes," he said, not unkindly. "You'd best get going now, so you won't be late for your first class. First Years are usually the ones who get lost rather easily."

Nell continued to blankly stare right back up at him. The glare between the two lingered, until he looked away and continued on walking, shooing other First Years from breakfast. She used her other hand to shovel the last morsel of food off her plate and into her mouth, syrup-less.

Once Gash settled into the large pocket Nell had sewn to the inside of her robes, she grabbed her books and made her way out of the Great Hall. She made several turns through the halls, and then paused and stepped off to the side, away from the mass of people. "_Wait, which class do I have first_?" she whispered.

"_Potions_," Gash replied.

"_Which professor_?"

"_Professor Slughorn, in the dungeons_," he said. "_And I find it somewhat funny how I've memorized your own schedule better than you have_."

She ignored his last comment. Now recalling the location of the classroom, Nell continued onwards.

By the times she reached the entrance to the classroom, the crowds in the corridors leading to it had already thinned out considerably. Only a couple lost students and fellow First Year Potions Class-goers were to be seen here.

Once Nell got her cauldron and books for the class out and completely prepared, it wasn't until another ten minutes had passed before everyone else in the class had finished arriving. Nearing the end of the first five minutes, the rotund and cheery professor Nell recognized as the Head of Slytherin House lumbered in with a large group of nervous-looking First Year Slytherins and a few Hufflepuffs.

"Good morning, students!" he said as soon as he arrived at the front of the classroom. "Welcome to Hogwarts, and your very first class of your education here — Potions! Now, I'm sure some of you out there have heard of me, and if you're lucky then maybe I soon will have heard of you." He gave one of his gleaming eyes a quick wink.

"Good morning, Professor Slughorn," a sparse few murmured in reply.

The professor scanned the new faces in the room with his small, watery eyes. "I hope you all brought all of your supplies, because you'll be brewing a potion today. It's nothing serious—I'll see just how much you all know." The man held up a small glass flask and swished around its greenish blue contents for all to see. "Can anyone tell me what this potion is?"

Nell narrowed her eyes as she concentrated on the teal potion. She racked through her brain on the names of all the potions she could think of. Bulgeye Potion? No, wrong color. Invigoration Draught? No, too advanced. Aging Potion? No, wrong consistency. Exploding Potion? No, the professor certainly wouldn't be sloshing a potion like that around like he was…

Nell felt Gash stir. She cast down a glance just quick enough to see one of his small eyes peering out from under her cloak.

"_Is that the Antidote to Common Poisons? Don't you think so?_" Gash asked very quietly.

Nell gave a low grunt and small nod in agreement.

To her misfortune, Professor Slughorn heard the sound she had made in the classroom's silence and mistook it for her volunteering an answer. "Ah. You there, from my own Slytherin House, uh, Miss Bennett, am I right? What do you think this is?"

Nell leaned her head to one side and looked again at the flask. Without taking her eyes of the object, she said, "That's the Antidote to Common Poisons, professor."

"Oh! Very good. Five points to Slytherin," he said with a look of pleasant surprise. "Now, I would like each of you to try and brew this on your own. The recipe is on page fifteen of your book. So, go on—you have fifty-three minutes. And there's a little prize in for whoever makes it best."

There was suddenly a rush of black cloaks and a screeching chorus of a couple dozen chairs being pushed back across the stone floor all at once. The others grabbed their books and cauldrons and began to hurry in order to start their potions. Nell, however, remained seated and flipped directly to the recipe. She scanned the recipe: one bezoar, one pinch of ground unicorn horn, two mistletoe berries, two measurements of Standard Ingredient…Nothing too complicated.

Slughorn, casually walking around the room, paused in front of Nell. "About time you got started now, isn't it? You've only fifty minutes."

Nell then nodded slightly and rose to her feet and fetched the required items. She stood in silent boredom as she mindlessly chopped and ground the ingredients and added them to the bubbling cauldron pot. Every so often, she'd snap back into reality to check on the progress of the potion.

"Your potion," the girl next to Nell whispered, "it needs another pinch of unicorn horn."

Nell awoke from her reverie and looked up. "Hmm?"

"You didn't grind up the horn enough, so another pinch of it would help, I think. Your potion is turning a bit too dark."

Nell looked closely at her concoction. It was a bit too dark. She took another small pinch of the unicorn horn and tossed it into the cauldron. The potion began to lighten to the correct shade. "Yeah, thanks," Nell muttered.

Slughorn was looking in on all of the students. He would peek over one person's shoulder and then make sounds of either disappointment or mild satisfaction. As the professor peered at the contents of the cauldrons of a few Slytherin boys across the room, he gave a short nod of approval. He clucked his tongue critically at Kraz's cauldron. He chuckled as one of the Hufflepuff student's potion became a ball of bright purple sludge and crawled out onto the floor. When he came to Nell, he looked passively over her cauldron and then set his eyes past it, at the girl's cauldron next to Nell's.

"Oh, good job! And another one of my Slytherin students," he said, delighted. "And your name?"

"Lucia O'Falley," she said proudly.

"O'Falley, you say?" he said thoughtfully. "Well, keep up with the good work. Everyone else best put a bit more effort into their own cauldrons if they'd still like a chance at winning the prize."

Nell felt a growing frustration. She had studied Potions since she was seven, and yet the girl standing next to her was already doing better than she. The girl, Lucia, was obviously not noticing Nell's mood; she insisted on trying to start up a conversation while they worked.

"I've really been excited to come to Hogwarts for a long time now – what about you? My brother, who's now a Seventh Year, has been preparing me all summer – especially in potions and flying. Slughorn is his favorite teacher…"

Nell would only nod and mutter obligatory words like "yeah," or "I know what you mean," every once in a while as Lucia continued on talking. Although she found Lucia's babble annoying and distracting, Nell managed to keep her jaw clenched and her temper at bay while she worked.

What seemed like hours later, Slughorn moved to center of the room and gathered everyone's attention as he shot colorful sparks from the tip of his wand. "Time is up! Please stop what you're doing and step back from your cauldrons. I'll come around to judge. Whosever potion is the best, I'll give them a prize," he said, smiling.

He made his way around the room with that same stupid smile on his face, glancing at some, stepping quickly away from others, and stopping to examine some further. Upon reaching Nell's cauldron, Slughorn paused and examined the incomplete potion thoroughly.

"Quite good," he murmured. He gave another grunt of approval before moving on.

When he came to Lucia's cauldron, he examined it for only a moment before turning to the class.

"Ah! No need for me to continue my search, I see," Slughorn declared in delight. "I think I've already found the winner of today's little test of your abilities."

Lucia smiled widely.

"Fifteen points to Slytherin," Slughorn continued. "And also as a reward, I extend to you, Ms. O'Falley, a formal invitation to the next meeting of the Slug Club. You'll be the first of the First Years thus far to attend."

"Thank you, sir," Lucia said, blushing slightly.

"It's quite fortunate for most of you that I am not grading your work. For some of you, I'd recommend you to read through your book's chapter on basic potion-making. And I commend a short few of you for your stellar work." His eyes glanced over to a beaming Lucia. "Overall: good job, everyone. Unfortunately, tomorrow when we meet I will be quizzing you on your knowledge of aconites and bezoars. Clean up your cauldrons and then you may leave. Class dismissed!"

The drone of chatter immediately rose from the classroom.

"_The Slug Club. What is that? It sounds rather unpleasant_," said Gash in a quiet hiss.

Nell occupied herself with cleaning up the ingredients she'd been using. "_I overheard some people talking about it earlier. It's an exclusive club that Slughorn runs. It's some sort of social group for those he thinks will be successful one day. He wants to have good connections to powerful people. That's all_."

"_Mhm. It still sounds awful_," Gash said.

"_Indeed_."

Nell looked down again at her cauldron of failure with disgust. She pointed her wand at it and said, "Scourgify." The spell whipped around the inside of the cauldron, licking up the contents and leaving it entirely clean. Nell made a point to quickly pack her things and leave before anyone else. A toppling of her cauldron and books, however, dashed those hopes.

"Oh, here, let me help you," said Lucia. She swooped down to the floor with Nell and helped her gather all of her things back into a neat pile.

"Um, thanks," Nell said as they both rose to their feet. Immediately following the incident, Nell thought that that was it, but Lucia, soon joined by Lauren Malone, continued to walk with Nell.

"Ugh," Lucia grunted as soon as they had left the musty classroom. "Another five minutes and I could have had a perfect brew of the potion."

"Oh, shut up," Lauren Malone said to Lucia laughingly. "You already won an invitation to Slughorn's Slug Club. What more could you want?"

"Well, I guess you're right,"

As they reached the next intersection, Nell suddenly stopped and put her hands to her pockets, feigning a look of sudden realization on her face. "You know what. Oh, I can't believe it! I forgot my quills and inkpot on my bed in the dormitories. I'll have to go back before I go to Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

"Oh, okay, we can walk with you," Lauren and Lucia quickly volunteered.

"No, no, that's fine. You don't have to," Nell insisted with as much sincerity as she could manage.

"I think that our next class is that way," said Nell, pointing in the wrong direction. "You two go on ahead. I'll meet you there."

As soon as they parted ways, Nell quickly let her smile fade from her face.

"_What was that all about_?" came a hiss from her pocket. "_Your quill and inkpot are right here, in your left pocket._"

"_I know, Gash. I really couldn't stand walking with them all the way to our next class, so I sent them off in the wrong direction and parted ways_."

"_Ah, I see_," he replied. "_But you really should try and make at least a couple friends. That is what normal children do_."

"_Oh, shut up, Gash_," Nell said, "_I thought that's why I have you_."


End file.
